5/28/2016

On a typical night for most of the year, Suffolk Downs is home turf for a number of special events, none more spectacular than Cirque du Soleil's “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities”, one of the latest and greatest offerings from this ubiquitous troupe. It's the company's thirtieth anniversary, and this production (first seen last season in Montreal), housed in its yellow and blue striped “Grand Chapiteau”, is a wonderful show. In this steampunk-styled outing, there's the story of an inventor, the Seeker (Anton Valen) who defies the laws of time, space and dimension, altering reality at will as the senses are distorted, perceptions challenged, and perspectives transformed, as he reinvents everything around him, the visible becomes invisible, and the world is (often literally) turned upside-down. We wonder if things are real or a figment of our imaginations, in a world both beautiful and mysterious; as the company itself puts it, it's where anything is possible, through the power of imagination (theirs and ours, as it turns out).

The story, although not heavy on narrative, begins with the “Chaos Synchro 1900” enactment of various train travelers representing the freedom and charm of the characters in the cabinet of curiosities, suggesting La Belle Epoque of the Paris World's Fair. This is followed by the Russian Cradle Duo, music box figurines suddenly brought to life as human trapezes. Then there's a great juggler (Gabriel Beaudoin), and a very non-traditional Aerial Bicycle act (Anne Weissbecker). Next up is the “invisible circus” which is literally just that, in miniature, led by a rather odd ringmaster (David-Alexandre Deprés. Then there's the four deep sea creatures (electric eels) performing on an underwater mechanical hand. Next is the upside-down world of a dinner party and chandelier in parallel worlds with chair-balancing challenges (Andrii Bondarenko). Then appears an aviator expert at balancing of another type, on the “rola bola”(James Eulises Gonzalez Correa), followed by an underwater acro-net with trampoline, a synchronized duo (Roman and Vitali Tomanov) on aerial straps, and a yo-yo artist (the single-named Frank) twirling pocket watches. There's the amazing “Theater of Hands”, storytelling by fingers projected onto a vintage hot air balloon (Nicolas Baixas), and “Banquine”, wherein thirteen artists create multi-level human pyramids. As is often the case with the company, there are some unusual characters, like Microcosmos, the half-steam engine (Karl L'Ecuyer) with the diminutive Mini Lili (Antanina Satsura) inside, and the Accordion Man (Baixas again). And, as usual, there's a comic act involving a man's pursuit of a woman with interruption from a cat, a parrot, and even a Tyrannosaurus. In all, there are some four dozen performers.

This production is extraordinarily well-directed (and written) by Michael Laprise, with Director of Creation Chantal Tremblay. As usual for the company, the technical contributions are all spectacular, from the Set and Properties Design by Stephan Roy (with a creative found-object feel) to the whimsical Costume Design by Philippe Guillotel, to the great choreography by Yaman Okur, Sidi Cherkaoui and Susan Gaudreau, to the equally fantastic Acrobatic choreography by Ben potvin and Andrea Zieger, to the Sound Design by Jacques Boucher and Jean-Michael Caron, the Lighting Design by Mrtin Labrecque and Makeup Design by Eleni Uranis. Especially winning is the musical composition and Direction by "Bob and Bill" (Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard) and Raphael Beau, transforming 1930's swing and jazz, (with an assist from Greek singer Eirini Tornesaki), a welcome change from their New Age scores.

The show's tagline is true: reality is relative. Seeing is disbelieving!

5/19/2016

Sometimes when you least expect it, a piece of musical
theater arrives on your doorstop for one magical night, makes you
fall in love with it, and goes on its way to pursue a future you
can't predict, while leaving behind an unforgettable memory of a
brief but beautiful encounter. The musical Dogfight is such an experience.
Based on the 1991 film of the same name, it had its first limited run
off-Broadway for two months in 2012, with subsequent mountings in
London, Australia and around the U.S. It's now the final production
of the current 25th season of SpeakEasy Stage Company. With Music
and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and Book by Peter Duchan,
it won the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, with several
nominations for other awards by the Outer Critics, Drama Desk and
Drama League. (It also featured the talented Annaleigh Ashford, who
would go on to win Tony Awards for Kinky Boots and You Can't
Take It with You in subsequent Broadway seasons). It's a
boy-rates-girl story that successfully stakes out terrain not often
covered by theater, especially the musical kind. Its time frame
precedes the era of political correctness, thereby turning a mirror
on our innermost darker side as it courageously portrays a
not-that-long-ago heated milieu drastically in need of some climate
change.

It's 1967 and a marine named Eddie Birdlace (Jordan J.
Ford) is on a bus to San Francisco, which triggers a flashback to his
first arrival in the city four years prior, specifically the
night before JFK was to be assassinated. Eddie was accompanied by
his fellow marines, Boland (Jared Troilo) and Bernstein (Drew Arisco)
who plan to spend their last night stateside playing a game called
Dogfight. The winner will be the guy who brings the ugliest
girl to a party (a true tradition for the Marines, we learn). In a
diner, Birdlace finds a shy plain-looking waitress, Rose (Alejandra
M. Parrilla), and invites her to be his date. After she accepts, he
starts to have second thoughts, but they end up at the party where
Rose learns the truth about the game from Boland's date Marcy
(McCaela Donovan). Infuriated and hurt, she slaps Birdlace and
leaves. Later, repentant, he asks her out again and she forgives
him, allowing him to stay the night. The flashback ends and
Birdlace, with harsh memories of the Vietnam war, seeks out an older
and wiser Rose at the diner, as he sings “Take Me Back”.

That's about it, in a nutshell, yet there's so much more
to be gleaned from this production. As Directed by Artistic Director Paul Daigneault, with
his usual gift for capturing the essence of a musical, aided by fine
Music Direction by Jose Delgado and Choreography by Larry Sousa, it's
a small but powerful gem. In the winning ensemble are a Lounge Singer
(Patrick Varner, who also plays the parts of Pete, a drag queen, a
diner patron, a waiter, and Big Tony), Stevens (Dylan James Whelan),
Fector (Dave Heard), Mama as well as Suzette/Hippie (Liliane Klein),
Gibbs as well as Steven's Party Date (Edward Rubenacker), and Ruth
Two Bears as well as a Librarian, Chippy and Hippie (Jenna Lea
Scott). Parrilla and Ford are entirely believable, with both
effective acting and singing, and could hardly be improved upon as
each grows, especially the unexpected strength of Parrilla's
character. Donovan steals several scenes she's in, as does Varner.
The technical team are all in fine form, from Scenic Designer Cristina
Todesco's spare but versatile set, to Costume Designer Elisabetta
Polito's spot-on attire reflecting the changes in the sixties,
Lighting Designer Jeff Adelberg's well coordinated work and Sound
Designer David Reiffel's contributed background. The score is
pleasant and evocative of the times, if perhaps not as varied as it
might have been.

Despite what might well be the least politically
incorrect title around, Dogfight emerges as what can only be
described with an often over-used term, yet exact here, truly
bittersweet. Not unlike its heroine and hero, it's a wondrous way to
spend an evening, even if we know more than they do about what
history will do to them. This show will soon be a memory as well, so
catch it while you can before it too disappears like the one-night
stand it portrays. Seize the moment, as this will be sure to become
one of your most emotionally moving and perhaps even life-changing
theatrical experiences. It's a heartbreaking yet life-affirming
musical treasure, like the encounter between the two leads, full of
unexpected promise.